So friend-of-the-blog Robin is having an Etsy sale, and you should really check it out. Exhibit A:
Her whole shop is just amazing — Robin has exquisite taste. (Basically, anything she sends me goes STRAIGHT TO PINTEREST. She’s that good.)
Today's Pattern Story
Green: I don’t know … it’s hard to tell …
Yellow: Are you sure? The girl at the shop said that the neck vine for this dress should grow an inch an hour, but I think it’s still just as short as it was this morning.
Green: Well, it’s certainly wiggling, isn’t that a good sign?
Yellow: I knew I should have injected it deeper into my cervical vertebrae! I’m going to have to take it back and complain.
Great Dresses of Literature: Fabulous Nobodies
Because I am in a classical mood lately, I select a traditional red-on-white polka dot dress with shoestring straps and a built-in padded bra and waist cinched tightly with a big red elastic belt. The frock’s name is Gina — after Gina Lollobrigida, naturally — and she’s so tight little wrinkles of fabric form on my hips when I walk. But she’s got a great sense of humor, a wonderful Italian outlook on life. When you walk in Gina — in six-inch red high heels, of course — you get this urge to hum “Volare” and swing your handbag like mad. I love her so much.
from Fabulous Nobodies, by Lee Tulloch. If you haven’t read Fabulous Nobodies, you really, really should.
Today's Pattern Story: Simplicity 1194
Floral dress: “I’d like to call today’s meeting of the Pissed-Off Jumper-Wearing Club to order.”
Black dress: “Hell no!”
Green dress: “Y’all go on ahead. I’m just gonna stare at things until they ignite.”
(From the Vintage Pattern Wiki here.)
Happy Plaidurday!
Man, Plaidurday sneaks up on me every year. At least I have this to wear today:
This dress is another Frankenstein; the bodice from my old favorite Simplicity 1577, and the skirt from that Australian W3 pattern.
Here’s the bodice:
ALMOST matched the plaid at center-front; luckily it’s so abstract:
This fabric is from the wonderful (and sadly, now-closed) Josephine’s Fabrics in Portland.
Collar closeup:
And the back:
Enjoy your Plaidurday!
Cloudy with a chance of procrastination
Things have been busy around Dressadayland lately. Lots of work, lots going on … and after the massive 100 days of dresses blogamaradressathon, I was all set with a big list of other things I wanted to blog about again. I’ve got some cool books piled up to review, I have some plans for dress dataviz based on my kinda-mostly up-to-date Google Doc tracking the 100 dresses postings, and also some auxiliary pictures (I didn’t post any skirts, for instance, and there were several “hey show us your whole closet!” picture requests). So that thing where you have a lot of plans and they all seem kind of huge and where are you going to start and oh by the way your day job is super-busy and also you might be having some kind of RSI problem that means you have to cut down on some typing for a week or two? Yeah, that. That is what has happened.
BUT. Things have settled down ever-so-slightly, I am no longer having disturbing pins-and-needles sensations in both hands, AND I went to XOXOfest weekend before last in Portland, so I came back super-inspired to DO STUFF. (And, evidently, to use a lot of CAPS for EMPHASIS.)
I will post more about XOXO, which was awesome and amazing and all the other affectionate adjectives that begin with A, but I did want to share this dress I made specifically to wear at the conference, which is in Portland, Oregon. Have you ever seen fabric that is more perfectly location-matched?
This is a Frankenstein dress — the same combination of patterns as this dress. Here’s the bodice; I’m really digging these raglan sleeves:
Here’s the zipper, which, well, I’m very proud of. This one really worked:
And the back:
This fabric is from Superbuzzy — the gray colorway is gone, but they still have a (very cute) navy and white …
Today's Pattern Story
Red: I’m going to win this Resolute Courageous Stare-Off if it is the last thing I do. I have purpose! I have wistful yet restrained yearning! I have a jaunty angle to my neck facings! I have dark, resolute gloves and a sensible yet stylish handbag, which almost certain includes war bonds! The trophy (and Captain Harding) is mine!
Green: I really wish I’d worn my glasses today. I can’t see a darn thing.
The Hundred Dresses: Day 100
And so we come to the end … the Duro! The Duro is actually one of the Hundred Dresses in The-Hundred-Dresses-the-book, and it’s named for Duro Olowu, who designed it. I fell in love … found a reasonable facsimile … and I made it a lot. To wit:
I don’t know if I ever posted this one:
This next one has some video:
There’s this one:
Then I started making them shorter:
And this one:
(Those last three and the green one above? All Liberty.)
This one has two posts (the second one is a play):
I have never gotten over how nicely these two prints matched, considering I bought them ages apart and in different places:
And, of course, the Vader Duro:
(Plus there’s this one and this one, and this one, none of which I even have any more, and the one I’m wearing in this video, which I know I still have but I never wear anymore, because I wore it in that video. Crazy.)
I will post some wrapups after this loooooong series … I know there are questions in the comments that have gone unanswered, plus there’s all sorts of statistical fun to be had, and of course a “closet picture” and some dresses that maybe didn’t make the cut for the full 100 … but if you’ve liked this series, may I ask that you perhaps consider picking up the book that inspired it? If you have already, and enjoyed it, I’d love to see your review, and of course it makes a lovely present for just about anyone …
Thanks so much for all the encouraging comments and fun links you’ve shared, too!
The Hundred Dresses: Day 99
We’re gonna go out with a bang … or at least, two very very long posts. Today: the Duro Junior!
The Duro Junior is also known as Simplicity 3875, and looks like this:
Or this:
Or this:
Or this:
Or this:
Essentially, it’s just a quick and simple kimono-y dress with contrasting bands at the waist and neckline, but boy, is it comfy. I haven’t worn these in a while (they’re a little too short & the skirts are a little narrow for biking) but looking at these photos makes me want to take these out again, or, better yet, work out a new version with a fuller skirt.
The Hundred Dresses: Day 98
For no real reason, here are two corduroy dresses:
This dress is a Simplicity 5232; here’s a better look at the bodice:
It’s Liberty, of course, but I don’t remember the name of the pattern. (I really have to get better about that … of course, my purchase predated Pinterest, which I now use as a fabric catalog.) Here’s the previous post about it.
I didn’t do the neck button/buttonhole; I knew I’d never button it up that high, since the fabric is so thick (choking … can’t breathe …):
The cuff:
The back:
Here’s the other corduroy dress, also Liberty (this print is called “Robin”), a Vogue 9929:
The side zip (and pocket, which you can’t see):
I made the pockets in this one in a fabric that is just too lightweight, and the contrast between the too fabrics is a bit too harsh, and has led to some stress fraying at the seam. I’ve had to fix it twice. Not great.
The bias trim on the neckline (my favorite part):
And the back:
I was going to add one more corduroy dress to this post, but it was so darn hot when I was pressing them for photos that I just couldn’t bear it. So here’s the link to it, just in case you’re curious.
A Dress A Day 